Archery bow sight utilizing optical rangefinder and coupled sighting element



D. 5. WHITE 3,163,697 OPTICAL RANGEFINDER Dec. 29, 1964 ARCHERY BOW SIGHT UTILIZING AND COUPLED SIGHTING ELEMENT Filed July 13. 1961 INVENTOR.

DAVID .S. Wl-l/TE United States Patent 3,163,697 ARCHERY BOW SIGHT UTELIZENG GPTKCAL RANGEFHNDER AND CGUPLED FJGHTING ELEMENT David S. White, Eddy St, Norton, Mass. Filed duly 13, 1961, Ser. No. 123,875 1 Claim. (Cl. lid-2.4)

The present invention relates generally to bows of the type used in archery and for hunting purposes, and is more particularly concerned'with the provision of a novel and improved sighting device for use in connection with such a bow.

A primary object of my invention is the provision of a sighting device which is effective for properly aiming a bow to hit a given target when the distance of said target from the bow is not known.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a sighting device which is adapted to be secured to a bow so as to form a permanent attachment thereon, but which nevertheless does not interfere with normal operation of the bow.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a sighting device of the character described having means for adjusting said device whereby to compensate for differences which may exist in individual bows.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a bow sight which is of relatively simple construction, that is economical to manufacture, that may be easily attached to a bow, and that is effective in operation for a range of from 15 to 80 yards.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings,

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by me for carrying out my invention:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional bow having my bow sight attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 44 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a conventional bow ll) having a bow string 12 and a centrally disposed handle grip 14. Secured to the bow Ill substantially adjacent the central portion thereof although slightly the-reabove, are a pair of brackets 16, each of which is mounted to the convex surface of the bow it by any suitable means. At their outer ends the brackets 16 have mounted thereon my novel and improved bow sight, identified generally at 18. Although the sight 1% may be secured to brackets 16 by any suitable means, I prefer to provide a bushing or spacer 21' which I interpose between the brackets and the sight, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 3. The sight is then secured to spacer Zil by means of screws 22, while the brackets are-likewise secured to the spacer by means of screws 24. In order to provide some degree of adjustability for the sight is with respect to bow 1t screws 24 extend through longitudinal slots 26 provided at the end portions of the brackets, and a suitable washer 28 overlies each of said slots to receive the head of each screw 24. It will be understood that when the sight it; is mounted on how it) in the manner just described, the sight is located in the plane defined by the bow iii and its string 12 and'the sight is suliiciently narrow so as not to interfere with the normal operation of the bow, it being understood that an arrow (notshown) being shot by the bow will extend on one side or the otherof the bow assess? Patented Dec. 29, 1964 shaft 1t and also on one side or the other of sighting deviceld.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 4, the sighting device 13 will now be described in detail. First of all, it will be seen that the device 13 comprises an elongated housing 3! having side walls 32, 34, a front wall 36, a rear wall 38, a top wall 4d and a bottom wall 42. Thus the housing 36 defines a closed hollow tube of substantially square cross section.

Adjacent top wall 49 and extending sideways through housing 31 are a pair of aligned sight openings 44, 4-6. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 2, opening 44 is located in side wall 32, and a sight element 48 is mounted therein. Element 48 comprises a viewing aperture 5t) and an inwardly extending portion 52 on which is mounted an angularly disposed semireflecting mirror 54. Mirror 54 may be of semisilver or aluminized construction and is preferably about 38 percent reflecting. An opening 56 is provided in the longer wall of portion 52 for reasons which will hereinafter become apparent. Opening 46, which is located in side wall 34 and is in alignment with viewing aperture 50, is preferably covered with a sun filter 53.

At the opposite end of housing 3% or adjacent bottom wall 42 there is mounted an angularly disposed mirror 60 which is in alignment with an opening 62 in side wall 34. The mirror 66 is secured to a rotatable shaft 64- by means of set screw 56, whereupon rotation of shaft 64 will cause pivotal movement of the mirror: 60 to alter its angular position. Also secured to shaft 64 for rotation therewith is an elongated arm 68 extending upwardly within the housing to a point adjacent but spaced from mirror 54. The arm 63 may be secured directly to shaft es, or else it may be secured to mirror 60 by a suitable set screw 76. The important thing is that mirror 65?, shaft 64 and arm 63 are movable only as a unit, it being apparent that any movement of arm 68 will cause rocking of shaft 64 and corresponding pivotal movement of mirror so.

It will be understood that arm 68 is actually a fiat, elongated bar and is secured only to mirror (ill or shaft 64. A leaf spring 72 is mounted on the inner surface of wall 34 as by screw 74 and normally urges the arm 68 in clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. it is also or" importance to note that the edge of arm (at; most closely adjacent to wall 32 is inclined with respect thereto, said edge being shown at 76. For reasons which will hereinafter become apparent, a plurality of threaded openings 78 extend across arm 68 from side to side, and a plurality of set screws 80 are mounted in said openings and extend outwardly from edge 76 of arm 63, as shown most clearly in FIG. 2. The set screws 86 are located as close as possible to each other and in actual practice are spaced apart about .1 inch.

Telescopingly mounted over housing 30 is a slide shown generally at 82. Slide 82 comprises a substantially circular body portion 84 having a square hole therethrough so as to snugly receive housing 30. Body portion 84 has fixedly secured. thereto a guide member 86, said guide member being located inside of housing 36 and, more specifically, along the inner surface of wall 36. As will be seen most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4, guide member 86 is secured to body portion 84 bymeans of a pin 88 which extends through an elongated slot 9% provided in wall 36.

It will be understood that as slide 82 is moved longitudinally of housing 30, guide member 86 moves therewith, and spring 72 at all times urges edge 76 of arm 68 into engagement with said guide member. Thus, as the slide is moved upwardly, spring 72 will urge arm 68, due to the inclination of edge 76, in a clockwise direction, and at the same time shaft s4 will rotate clockwise, as well as mirror 60. Thus it will be seen that the longitudinal position of slide 82 and its guide member 86 will determine the precise angular position or pivotal position of mirror 60. In order to lock slide 82 in any desired position, a screw 92 having a knurled head 94 is provided, it being obvious from FIG. 4 that tightening of said screw will lock the slide with respect to housing 30. In addition to screw 92, a friction brake is provided for imparting a frictional drag on the slide as it is moved longitudinally of housing 30. More specifically, as will be seen in FIG. 4, a stud 96 is resiliently urged into ongagement with one corner of the housing 30 by means of spring 98 mounted by screw 100.

Although the position of slide 82 and guide member 86 will determine the angular or pivotal position of mirror 60, as hereinbefore described, manual means are additionally provided for adjusting the angular or pivotal position of mirror 60 for any given position of the slide 82. These means comprise the hereinbefore described set screws 80, it being understood that by manipulating the set screw 80 which is in alignment with guide 86, the set screw will either bear against guide 86 so as to move arm 68 in a counterclockwise direction against the action of spring 72, or else, by decreasing the amount the set screw extends from edge 76, spring 72 will automatically cause clockwise movement of arm 68. In order to provide access to the set screws 80 for manipulation of same, an elongated slot 102 is provided in wall 34, it being understood that said slot is in alignment with the openings 78 in arm 68 and the set screws located in said openings. In addition, body portion 84 of slide 82 is provided with an opening 104 which aligns with slot 102, as clearly shown in FIG. 4.

Fixedly mounted in body portion 84 and extending sideways from the sighting device, or in a direction parallel to the front and rear walls 36, 38 of housing 30, is a sight bar 106 having a ball sight 108 at its outermost extremity. The use and operation of sight bar 106 will soon become apparent.

Located inside of housing 30 adjacent the upper extremity thereof is an abutment 110 having an opening 112 which is centrally positioned with respect to the housing 30. It will be understood that abutment 100 may be mounted in housing 30 by any suitable means, such as set screw 113. It will further be understood that the outer surface of arm 68, identified at 114 in FIG. 3, is not secured to the adjacent surface of abutment 110, but rather is freely slidable with respect thereto, whereupon pivotal movement of said arm around axis 64 is not restricted. The abutment 110 does serve to maintain the upper end of arm 68 in close relation to wall 36, however. Note also that wall 36 is provided with openings 116 in alignment with screws 22 in order to permit access to said screws before arm 63 has been assembled. It will be understood that the top and bottom walls 40, 42 of housing 30 are secured in assembled position by any suitable means after arm 68 and the other interior parts of sight 18 have been assembled. As will be seen most clearly in FIG. 3, a wheel 118 is secured to the outer extremity of shaft 64 by means of set screw 120 whereupon rotation of said shaft and corresponding pivotal movement of mirror 60 and arm 68 may be manually accomplished if desirable for any reason.

In operation and use, the target is first sighted by looking through sight aperture 50. It will be understood that as one looks through aperture 50 at a target, two images will be seen. More specifically, since mirror 54 is only semireflective, a real image of the target will be seen by looking directly through mirror 54 and opening 46. At the same time, a reflected image will be picked up by mirror 60 through opening 62 and will be reflected upwardly through opening 112 in abutment 110 and opening 56 in portion 52 to mirror 54 and then to the eye of the viewer. Thus, the viewer will simultaneously see both a real and a reflected image. As the viewer looks at 1116 g the slide 82 is manipulated until the real and reflected images are both seen at the same height. It will be understood that movement of slide 82 causes the relative position of the real and reflected image to vary with respect to each other, since movement of said slide is causing mirror 60 to rotate, as hereinbefore described, which obviously varies the position of the image picked up and transmitted by said mirror. When the real and reflected images are seen at the same height, the slide 82 is in its proper position and the bow is then aimed at the target with the ball sight 108 of sight bar 106 on target. At this time, the bow will be properly positioned so that an arrow shot from the bow will assume the proper trajectory for the distance of the target involved. Thus it will be seen that my sighting device provides means for properly aiming a bow at a target even though the distance of the target from the bow is unknown.

When my sight 18 is first associated and attached to a bow, it is necessary to make certain preliminary adjustments so that arm 68 and mirror 60 will be at the proper pivotal position for any given position of slide 82. This is accomplished by pushing the slide as far upwardly as it will go, which should correspond to a distance of approximately 15 yards. Then, standing approximately 15 yards from a target and sighting the ball sight 108 on target, the bow is shot. If the target is properly hit, then the operator looks through the viewing aperture 50 and adjusts the top set screw until the real and reflected image are at the same height. erly hit on the first shot, the operator must continue shooting at the target, moving a slight distance forwardly or rearwardly each time until the proper distance from the target is obtained for the upwardmost position of slide 82. At whatever position this proper sighting is obtained, the uppermost set screw is adjusted so as to cause the real and reflected image to appear at the same height. When this has been done, the operator moves back a short distance, approximately 1 /22 /z yards, and moves the slide downwardly one notch, or until the second set screw is in alignment with the flat or center portion of guide 86. The operation is then once again repeated, i.e., with the slide in this position, the operator sights the target and continues shooting, moving slightly forwardly or rearwardly each time, until the target is properly hit. At the precise distance on which the proper hit is made, the target is then viewed and the second set screw is adjusted until the real and reflected images are seen at the same height. This operation is then repeated for every position of slide 82, it being understood that the slide is moved downwardly one notch each time, or, expressed difierently, to bring the next lowest set screw in registry with guide 86. Once these preliminary adjustments have been made, it is never necessary to touch the set screws 80 again unless the sighting device is disassembled from the bow and placed on a different bow. It will be understood that the set screws 80 are selflocking so that once they have been manipulated to their position of desired adjustment, the adjustment will not inadvertently be lost. Once these initial adjustments have been made, the sighting device is then used in the manner described in the paragraph supra, i.e., the target is sighted and the slide is moved until the real and reflected images are seen at the same height, at which point the slide will be properly positioned for sighting of the target with ball sight 108.

The abutment .functions to block excess light reflected from mirror 60 off the inner walls of housing 30, whereupon the reflected image, which passes through the restricted aperture 112, will be more readily visible to the viewer. Sun filter 58 also functions to provide better contrast so that the real and reflected images can be more easily seen.

While there is shown and described herein certian specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without If, however, the target is not prop-- departing from the sprit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular for-ms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a how, a sight mounted thereon, said sight comprising an elongated housing located substantially centrally of said bow on the convex side thereof and in spaced, substantially parallel relation thereto, a sight opening extending sideways through said housing adjacent one end thereof through which a target may be viewed, an angularly disposed, semi-reflective mirror mounted in said housing in alignment with said sight opening, a reflecting device p-ivotally mounted in the opposite end of said housing, a second opening in said housing in alignment with said reflecting device, so that upon looking through said sight opening a real image will be seen directly by looking through said semi-reflective mirror, and are flected image will be simultaneously seen, said reflected image being picked up by said reflecting device and reflected to said semi-reflective mirror and then to the eye of the viewer, means movable longitudinally along said housing for changing the pivotal position of said reflecting device, said movable means having a sighting element attached thereto and extending sideways from said housing, the pivotal mounting for said reflecting device comprising a rotatable shaft to which said device is fixed, an elongated arm fixed to said shaft and extendging along the interior of said housing, aid arm being 7 tion of said shaft and pivotal movement of said reflecting device, said movable means comprising a slide movable longitudinally along the outside of said housing, a longitudinal slot in said housing and a guide member carried by said slide and extending into said housing through said slot, resilient means urging one edge of said arm into engagement with said guide member, said one edge "being inclined with respect to the path of movement of said slide and guide member, whereby movement of the latter longitudinally along said housing causes housing in alignment with said set screw for permitting access thereto from outside said housing.

References flited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,294,341 2/19 Jolly 88-2.4 1,982,489 11/34 Wilcox 88-2.2 2,155,389 4/39 Arden 88-2.4 X 2,654,152 10/53 La Vire 3346.4 2,788,701 4/57 Browning 88-2.3

DAVID H. RUBIN, Primary Examiner. 

